Yes I did Solman but those go on in the summer......the Firestones on the 16" rims were getting real thin so the Conti's went on.

Not defensive Harley, enjoy all comments iirc correctly the tire removal machine does have the part at the lip but also a "guide" that sits on top of the rim. These pics were not all from 1 tire...it was from 3 different tires. The front left rim was unscathed...my only guess is that another tech did that tires?

The rims were really dirty when I brought it in..this looks like grit or something between the guide and the surface of the rim. If not from tire machine I have no idea because I would have remembered hitting or curbing or scraping them...especially on 3 tires? I haven't seen what the tire changer looks like but all scrapes are in the same place on different wheels...

Can anyone else confirm that a tire remover could make these marks? Years ago when VIP Auto changed out my tires on a 2000 Maxima the rims came back with similar marks so thats why I automatically thought the same thing



Goose

 

Brought the car to Town Fair and they are ordering me 3 new rims..the 4th has a slight scuff but not major like the other 3. I was very surprised and pleased with the way this was handled by the store manager!

I had a thought of really pushing for all 4 but I think replacing the 3 with the most gouges was pretty good.


Manager said "yep, that is from our machine" said there is supposed to be a teflon pad to prevent marks like that but for some reason it didn't work like it is supposed to


Goose

 

That's refreshing!!! Hope you told him thanks for his honesty. That would make me more apt to return as a customer.

 

Honesty is nice, but in this case I would not return to the shop. Apparently, they are knowingly using defective machinery and just hope the customers don't notice.

 

I had America's TIres (Discount Tires) damage all four of my rims from the clamps they used. They paid to had all four refinished without hesitation. It was a mobile guy that did them at my work. The bill was $500.

Tell them to fix them and don't let up.

 

Goose, glad to hear they are taking care of you.
In my opinion, with the high-tech tire machines that are used today, there should be NO reason for scratching your rims.

 

Well gopod news and bad news...good news is that my replacement rims came in today..bad news is they are not new from the factory, they are refinished from Keystone....take a look at them and compare them to the OEM 16" rims









These rims have a different coating on them as you can see...almost shiny and have a gray tone to them...almost like the Premier edition rims? Right away I was like "Ummmm these 3 rims will not match the 4th" He offered to replace the 4th rim as well as to match the set....if I had a black or silver or gray HHR I probably would have done it but a Golden Teal with the bright chrome package.....hmmmmm not to mention the center caps would look out of place as well.

The box did say Premier on it but don't know if that plays any part in the finish. He said he would check tomorrow and see if they offer a refinished wheel without the glossy clearcoat and not the darker coloe...can you guys see in the pics the difference in rim? It's not me is it?


I don't think the darker gray rims would look that good on the Golden Teal







Goose

 

I think the wheels they got would look good on your HHR

 

After sleeping on it and also looking at rims that have been refinished from other sources, I don't think I might have any choice. It looks like if these rims are refinished that different coating is put on and that creates the gray look. I looked at some on Ebay and they look the same.

The rims are glossy so it would make for a different look. My main concern is that the OEM rims seem pretty durable and resistant to scratches.....these refinished ones look like they may scratch and mark up easily?

And won't the lighter color center caps look sorta goofy?

Man nothing is easy lol looks like I might be SOL if I want them to replace the rims with what I have on there now....I bet you can't even get new ones from GM anymore?



Goose

 

Hmmm wonder if the black chrome grill would look good with these rims



Goose